COMBINING DATA FROM MULTIPLE IMAGE SENSORS

• US 20120081519A1
• Filed: 04/04/2011
• Published: 04/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Goma, Sergiu R., Aleksic, Milivoje, Hwang, Hau, Cheung, Joseph
• Granted Patent: US 8,896,668 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/47
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/161 Encoding, multiplexing or demultiplexing different image signal components for multi-view video sequence encoding H04N19/597
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/239 using two 2D image sensors having a relative position equal to or related to the interocular distance H04N13/243 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/296 Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/90 Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums

Abstract

A method of combining data from multiple sensors is disclosed. The method includes receiving lines of image data at an image processor having an input for a single camera. Each line of the image data includes first line data from a first image captured by a first camera and second line data from a second image captured by a second camera. The method also includes generating an output frame having a first section corresponding to line data of the first image and having a second section corresponding to line data of the second image. The first section and the second section are configured to be used to generate a three-dimensional (3D) image format or a 3D video format.

Claims

1. A method of generating image data, the method comprising:

receiving lines of image data at an image processor having an input for a single camera, wherein each line of the image data includes first line data from a first image captured by a first camera and second line data from a second image captured by a second camera; and

generating an output frame having a first section corresponding to line data of the first image and having a second section corresponding to line data of the second image, wherein the first section and the second section are configured to be used to generate a three-dimensional (3D) image format or a 3D video format.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the lines of image data are received at the image processor from a combiner that is coupled to the first camera and to the second camera.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising synchronizing, using the combiner, line by line readout of first image data from the first camera and second image data from the second camera to generate each line of the image data.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

processing the output frame to generate 3D image data; and

sending the 3D image data to a display device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

processing the output frame to generate 3D video data; and

sending the 3D video data to a display device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the display device is a component of at least one of a communication device, a camera, a personal digital assistant, and a computer.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein each line of the image data includes a gap section between the first line data and the second line data, wherein the gap section comprises non-image data.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the input for the single camera comprises a single camera parallel interface or serial interface and an inter-integrated circuit interface.

9. An apparatus to generate image data, the apparatus comprising:

an image processor having an input for a single camera, wherein the image processor is configured to receive lines of image data via the input, each line of the image data including first line data from a first image captured by a first camera and second line data from a second image captured by a second camera,

wherein the image processor is configured to generate an output frame having a first section corresponding to line data of the first image and having a second section corresponding to line data of the second image, wherein the first section and the second section are configured to be used to generate a three-dimensional (3D) image format or a 3D video format.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising a combiner coupled to the first camera and to the second camera and wherein the lines of image data are received at the image processor from the combiner.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the combiner is configured to align line by line readout of first image data from the first camera and second image data from the second camera to generate each line of the image data.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising a graphics processing unit configured to process the output frame to generate 3D image data or 3D video data.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising a display device coupled to display the 3D image data or the 3D video data, wherein the display device is a component of at least one of a communication device, a camera, a personal digital assistant, and a computer.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the input for the single camera comprises a single camera parallel interface or serial interface and an inter-integrated circuit interface.

15. A non-transitory computer readable-medium comprising instructions, which when executed by a processor cause the processor to:

receive lines of image data via an input for a single camera, wherein each line of the image data includes first line data from a first image captured by a first camera and second line data from a second image captured by a second camera; and

generate an output frame having a first section corresponding to line data of the first image and having a second section corresponding to line data of the second image, wherein the first section and the second section are configured to be used to generate a three-dimensional (3D) image format or a 3D video format.

16. The non-transitory computer readable-medium of claim 15, wherein the lines of image data are received from a combiner that is coupled to the first camera and to the second camera.

17. The non-transitory computer readable-medium of claim 15, further comprising instructions to cause a graphics processor to:

process the output frame to generate 3D image data; and

send the 3D image data to a display device.

18. The non-transitory computer readable-medium of claim 15, further comprising instructions to cause a graphics processor to:

processing the output frame to generate 3D video data; and

sending the 3D video data to a display device.

19. An apparatus comprising:

means for receiving lines of image data at an input for a single camera, wherein each line of the image data includes first line data from a first image captured by a first camera and second line data from a second image captured by a second camera; and

means for generating an output frame having a first section corresponding to line data of the first image and having a second section corresponding to line data of the second image, wherein the first section and the second section are configured to be used to generate a three-dimensional (3D) image format or a 3D video format.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising means for combining the first line data and the second line data, wherein the means for combining is coupled to the first camera and to the second camera and configured to provide the lines of image data to the input for the single camera.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising:

means for processing the output frame to generate 3D image data; and

means for sending the 3D image data to a display device.

22. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising:

means for processing the output frame to generate 3D video data; and

means for sending the 3D video data to a display device.